Coconut and Berries

Healthy, Vegan Recipes by Emma Potts

Hijiki-Carrot Salad, Avocado-Cucumber Sushi

N is for…Nori!

Simple Avocado-Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Carrot-Hijiki Salad

For the uninitiated, nori is one of many varieties of sea vegetable or seaweed, probably the most frequently found in the Western world due to its use as a wrap for sushi.

Sea vegetables, or seaweeds, are some of the most nutritious foods we can eat. They have more vitamins and trace minerals by weight than any other food. They are very alkaline, have antibiotic and antibacterial properties, aid in digestion, help maintain a healthy thyroid and reduce cholesterol. You also don’t need to have a lot to reap the benefits. Sound like a wonder food!

Just yesterday Christy at Blissful Bites posted about sea vegetables so if you want to learn a bit more  (as well as grab an intriguing sounding recipe for a wakame-tofu “bacon” quiche) head on over there.

Simple Avocado-Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Carrot-Hijiki Salad

I’ve been wanting to make my own sushi for ages, and armed with a bag of proper sushi rice (I’ve since learned this isn’t actually essential but does help it stick together more easily), another buy from the Japan Centre, I finally set out to have a go. I was pleasantly surprised that they’re really not as hard as I thought, even without any specialist equipment.

I followed the instructions here, using agave nectar instead of white sugar and without a bamboo mat.

Simple Avocado-Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Carrot-Hijiki Salad

Sushi doesn’t have to be about fish. Even in a typical Japanese restaurant you should find plentiful vegan options, simple avocado and cucumber maki rolls probably the most common. If/when I get back to NYC, I’m making it a priority to try the elaborate sushi at the all-vegan restaurant Beyond Sushi.

Simple Avocado-Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Carrot-Hijiki Salad

The only thing about sushi rolls is that you can’t really fit much of the good stuff in them. I had to eat the leftover avocado and cucumber strips on the side.

If, like me, you prefer to load up on the fillings, and avoid the slightly delicate task of rolling sushi, I think a sushi “bowl” would be a better idea. A base of rice (short-grain brown would be my preference), strips of cucumber and carrot, some baked tofu or edamame for protein and finally slices of avocado and nori snipped with scissors on the top! Serve it like sushi rolls with good quality soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Here are a couple of other bloggers’ recipes using nori that I’m keen to try:

Gena’s Chickpea, Avocado, Nori Spread and Ricki’s Raw Nori Rolls with a “Salmon” filling (made from almonds) and Spicy Ginger-Miso Paste

Simple Avocado-Cucumber Sushi Rolls, Carrot-Hijiki Salad

You may be wondering about that other dish on my plate? Well, I’m feeling generous today and giving you a 2 for 1post! My Carrot-Hijiki Salad made an excellent companion for the sushi. More of that tasty seaweed flavour, crunchy carrots and a sweet sesame dressing.

Considering I’m highlighting both nori and hijiki in today’s post, perhaps it would have been more fitting to have saved it for “S” for Seaweed…Never mind, they’ll be something else for S I assure you.

Carrot-Hijiki Salad

Hijiki-Carrot Salad

1/4C Dried hijiki
2C Shredded carrots (I used a food processor)
1/2T Rice vinegar
1/2T Tamari
1t Agave nectar
3/4T Sunflower oil
1/2T Toasted sesame oil
Pinch of salt
1T Toasted Sesame seeds

Soak hijiki in warm water for 10 minutes to soften, drain and rinse. Combine with shredded carrots.

Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir through salad along with the toasted sesame seeds.  Best eaten after refrigerating a couple of hours so the flavours can deepen.

Serve with sushi or as a side to any Japanese-inspired dish

There’s a huge variety of different sea vegetables out there but the only other one I’ve tried and use regularly is kombu. I add a strip to a pot of beans when soaking and cooking them as apparently it aids digestion.

Do you eat sea vegetables? Which others should I try?

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Comments

  3. I just made sushi earlier this week and already I want it again. This looks yummy! If you don’t get a chance for a sit-down meal at Beyond Sushi, they have a to-go location called the Green Roll at Chelsea Market. The choices aren’t as broad, but they still have some good vegan options.

    • You’ve been to Beyond Sushi?! Very jealous indeed. Thanks for the tip on the Green Roll. I really really want to go back to NYC, not just for the food, but that is a major plus!

  4. Making sushi is pretty fun, especially with panko or crusted sesame seeds on the exteriors. I love the simple avocado rolls - creamy and simple. The Hijiki-Carrot Salad looks beautiful…love it! I don’t eat a lot of sea vegetables in Oregon or right now, but in Taiwan, there are loads of stir-fry seaweed dishes, especially seaweed/noodle soups.

    • I’d love to read more about Taiwanese food, I think it would really appeal to me.
      Oh, I forgot about adding seaweed to soups. I love miso soup with cubed tofu and seaweed, sometimes with noodles too :)

  5. love that gorgeous salad! it is so vibrant and pretty! i still havent warmed up to sea vegetables. but hopefully slowlyi will get there!:)

  6. This looks amazing!!!! And I can just imagine how good it tastes ♥ I adore sushi, but I’ve never got round to making it myself. It’s on the ever growing ‘to do’ list 😉 When I do get round to it, I’m going to try the brown sushi rice which Harvest sells.
    I love the Clearspring Nori sprinkles, which I use in our veggie paellas and for making ‘tofu fingers’.

    • I didn’t realize you could get brown sushi rice! Great to know. I popped into Harvest just a couple of days ago. I love it :)
      I’ll have to check out those recipes of yours too.

    • haha. I know a bunch of people who are scared of seaweed! I love it and love how healthy it is too. Apparently it’s the missing link in plant-based diets providing lots of Vit B12 and iodine which aren’t in other plant foods.

  10. That hijiki carrot salad looks great! Timely, too, because I actually have some hijiki in my cupboard that I’ve been meaning to use up. Wakame is probably my current favorite sea vegetable; the recipe I make most often is on my blog. :)

    • Thanks Claryn :) I’ll have to try wakame,I think I’ve had it in miso soup before? Just looked up your recipe and it looks very tasty. Another great side for sushi or a topper for brown rice.

  13. Your sushi is so pretty! We love making sushi. I’m afraid I haven’t been very adventurous beyond nori, but I love to put as much color in the rolls as possible…yellow and red peppers, mango, carrot. So good!

  14. Emma
    I’m not sure if you’re aware so I just wanted to give you a heads up. Hijiki is often contaminated with inorganic arsenic; for a semi-detailed report, please see: http://www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles_id=79. It was a pretty in-depth analysis done without prompting by a company that sells seaweed products. While they have a marginally vested interest, I found the data/report to be pretty unbiased and objective. I admire the company a good deal for going to such great lengths to ascertain this information for the benefit, health and well-being of their customers. I know of no other company that sells hijiki that went to expels/expelled a fraction of the effort Eden Foods did in trying to obtain definitve answers. I actually contacted another company, several times, regarding the matter., and despite claiming on their site that the purity and safety of their food was of the utmost importance esp. since their family ate them on a regular basis, they NEVER returned my e-mails. SHAD-Y. So, do with the information what you will. :) Just wanted to let you know because I had NO idea and was completely floored when I stumbled across the info.

      • Emma,
        I actually checked out that company (and that page) before I made my comment. I didn’t see any mention about arsenic or other heavy metals specifically, so I went ahead and shared what I knew. The most important thing when purchasing food is trusting the company you’re buying from; as consumers we have no choice but to trust in the honesty and integrity of said companies. It can be such a battle sometimes, right? Either way, seaweed is awesome. :)

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